G. L. Pease Regents Flake

The flakes are light brown and there are some darker streaks in there. Tin note is kind of fruity and musty. The flakes are not too moist. I've had the tin open for weeks and it has retained it's moisture well.

I like to fold and pack this into the pipe carefully to try and get even burning. I haven't tried rubbing it out. Always starts off with Virginia and Perique flavors of dried fruit, some plummy flavors and woody accents. In steps the Orientals and you can get more dusty, woody notes mixed in, smokey notes, incense and tagine spices.

Nicotine is medium, strength is medium, taste is medium. Burns well. It's just an interesting and enjoyable blend. I would even say luxurious. I also love the aroma. It's never boring, but it's never too complex. It's right there, and it's repeatable. For me it's an all-day blend.

Smoked 3 years old, rubbed out, roughly 10 - 12% humidity, kept in a mason jar this whole time.I like it.I'm using it to break in this big Demuth system pipe.The smell in the jar is very tobbacoy,in a smooth, refined way.I can definitely taste some Perique in there.LIke some of the other smokers say,a suggestion of citrus here and there.This seems to go better in a large chamber,as there is more time to get all the components working together.Have used some smaller pipes, with less flavor development.Recommended.

If you are looking for a mild-medium tangy take on Izmir, this could be for you. It's well-balanced by the VAs. Worth trying any time of year, especially if you don't often indulge in Orientals. On the other hand, despite being a (fairly broken) flake, it does burn on the fast side, so sip or risk a little burn rather than tang!

Another G. L. Pease blend that is exactly what you'd expect from the description so not much to add. Primarily the excellent C&D virginias with the orientals on the side and the perique in the background. A great twist on a standard VaPer with no sugars or flavoring added. It is nearly identical to Temple Bar. This seems just a little more sweet and tastes like there is a little less oriental. Full flavored and mild nicotine.

I bought this tobacco based on the tin note which states that a generous measure of Izmir leaf is layered on a foundation of mature red and sweet bright Virginia without ever mentioning the inclusion of Perique. However when smoking it for the first time I could not help but notice the peppery spiciness and musty fruitiness which I associate with Perique.

Tin note has a suspicion of fruity smell, if I had to name one I’d say cherries or strawberries and it could possibly be the natural smell of the tobacco and not a topping, but I am not sure. There’s also an underlying tangy tobacco smell and a sour fermenting yoghourt note. Quite enticing.

The broken flakes are on the dry side and quite soft to the touch. They rub out fairly easily and the tobacco takes to light easily and smokes quite slow. In the beginning of the smoke I can sense the fresh fruitiness of the tin note but then on it is a mostly dry-tasting blend but does not lack sweetness completely. Difficult to describe the taste, I would say it has the taste of loamy soil with notes of white pepper, it’s also smoky but not in the dark Latakia way – it’s a lighter smokiness like that produced by dry hay burning. Also a little bit ashy. It is complex and surely the Orientals - tangy and loamy - contribute to this complexity.

I do not know how the flakes are pressed but I did not get always the same taste from all the bowls I smoked. In some Perique was more dominant (thankfully, not with its strength but instead with its ……flavor), in others I got clearly the beautiful tangy and sour Orientals. Still a beautiful blend.

G. L. Pease - Regents Flake (Old London Series).

The blend's right on the cusp of being badged as a Broken Flake, they're still in flake form but starting to break apart. It's dark brown in colour, and of a good moistness.

At the beginning the Oriental/Turkish tobaccos' are without doubt the stronger of the bunch, with the Virginia coming in second place, and the Perique right down the scale. Then, about ten minutes in, I start to taste more of the Perique; not lots of sharpness, but it's definitely more tasty. The Oriental/Turkish comes over in a calmer style than it often can: there's very little, if any, sourness. The Virginia offers a gentle sweetness throughout: in a way that doesn't bombard me with hay and grass alone. Over the duration of a smoke I find the bowl burning steady, leaving only clean ash.

The room-note's quite pleasant, and the nicotine's about medium.

I like Regents Flake, but don't love it.

Recommended.

I bought a couple tins of this because 1) I'm a fan of many Pease blends, and 2) there was no perique listed in the ingredients. So I opened the tin, filled the pipe, and lit up. My mouth was filled with the biter sting I associate with cheap perique. Into a jar it went and I figured it would take a few years to be smokeable. Weakling that I am I decided to try it again a week later. I packed a bit looser as I do for the few perique blends blends I like and much to my surprise I found myself smoking a very pleasant sweetish oriental and virgina blend. It still had a tang, but the perique had backed way off instead of going to war on my tongue. So hats off to Greg yet again. Jar it, pack it lightly and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

I am not particularly drawn to 'oriental' blends - I seem to prefer the robust Virgina and Va/Per blends, and also plug tobaccos. [The moisture seems better controlled in them??] I found the best way to load my pipe(s) to be lightly rubbing out the flake - this gave a more consistent taste, and balance of taste, in the pipes I am currently smoking [Petersen 999 and 80s - parallel sided/narrower] Also smoked in wider bowls with a taper - but here the Flake seems inclined to get a bit too "spicy" for me in them! [Petersen D/L System 9s and a Rattray 03 billiard] Mind you - I am a little undisciplined in my smoking having a 'cadence' a little too quick at times.

The Izmir leaf is fairly smoky and perhaps a bit sour but the taste is consistent throughout a 'disciplined' pipe. The burn is dry even though the flake feels slightly moist in the tin.

No re-light problems - getting 45-60 minutes from a bowl with re-lights only if put down for more than 5 minutes or so.

Noted that more moisture seems to come out of the tobacco in my tapered bowl pipes. I've also noted that if I smoke too quickly the taste rapidly becomes very sour and unpleasant.

This is proving a good after-dinner tobacco for me, and the following morning the mouth-taste remaining is more than acceptable.

I get mostly Virginia and Perique. The Virginias are slightly sweet and lightly citrus. The Perique is spicy pepper. I get some slight nuttiness halfway through the bowl. I'm having trouble picking up any of the Oriental/Turkish in this. Strength is just above medium. Room note is difficult to describe as I live alone and have no feedback from others. I find it tolerable.

As with most new blends for me, it changes as it ages and I am likely to update this review.

This is the type of blend I enjoy.